Ties That Bind

Familial Homophobia and Its Consequences

De: Sarah Schulman

Narrado por: Sarah Schulman

Although acceptance of difference is on the rise in America, it's the rare gay or lesbian person who has not been demeaned because of his or her sexual orientation, and this experience usually starts at home, among family members.

Whether they are excluded from family love and approval, expected to accept second-class status for life, ignored by mainstream arts and entertainment, or abandoned when intervention would make all the difference, gay people are routinely subjected to forms of psychological and physical abuse unknown to many straight Americans.

"Familial homophobia," as prizewinning writer and professor Sarah Schulman calls it, is a phenomenon that until now has not had a name but that is very much a part of life for the LGBT community. In the same way that Susan Brownmiller's Against Our Will transformed our understanding of rape by moving the stigma from the victim to the perpetrator, Schulman's Ties That Bind calls on us to recognize familial homophobia. She invites us to understand it not as a personal problem but a widespread cultural crisis. She challenges us to take up our responsibilities to intervene without violating families, community, and the state. With devastating examples, Schulman clarifies how abusive treatment of homosexuals at home enables abusive treatment of homosexuals in other relationships as well as in society at large.

Ambitious, original, and deeply important, Schulman's book draws on her own experiences, her research, and her activism to probe this complex issue - still very much with us at the start of the twenty-first century - and to articulate a vision for a more accepting world.

©2009 Sarah Schulman (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Must-Read in Today’s Anti-Queer Society!

Sarah Schulman’s sharp, studied wisdom resonates throughout this text. Much like in her previous work, Schulman’s expertise shines through, with candid personal experience shaping her decades of study into a thoughtful and concise read on the deep, personal consequences of homophobia. Worthy of study by both LGBTQIAA+ members and their allies, “Ties That Bind” positions itself as a staple on the bookshelves of society. My only complaint is the gendered language and skew of the text; while Schulman writes from the experiences and perspective of a lesbian, her topics extend to all members of the queer community, and an extension of her language to be inclusive would go far with both this reader and her readership at large.

very to the point and understandable.

this was informative and the elephant in a gay persons room. intuitive for those who chose not to study life.

I enjoyed it.

I enjoyed this book. The author makes some excellent points and invites you to think it through with her. However, the author uses plenty examples from her life, which confused me at times: do I choose to agree with the author out of compassion or was a logical well-formed argument?

Essential

An amazing book and worth several readings. I would recommend to anyone whether gay or straight.